“We deserve to be paid enough not just to survive but also to transition, to love, to thrive.”
, the coffee chain’s burgeoning union, filed a charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday, according to a copy of the charge obtained by. The filing alleges that in the past six months, Starbucks has created a “coercive and hostile environment meant to intimidate and prevent its employees from supporting Workers United.”
That reportedly includes “threatening employees with the loss of benefits if they voted to be represented by a union,” in addition to reducing hours, removing store managers following union activities, offering pay raises to non-unionized stores, and more. via email that most of her coworkers are queer, with many of them relying on trans healthcare benefits.
“We are uniquely vulnerable when Starbucks makes veiled threats that gender-affirming healthcare could be taken away,” Cremin said.. Cremin’s manager reportedly told her in a recent meeting that she wasn’t anti-union, but also said, “Just know that if you unionize, when you are negotiating your benefits, you could gain, you could lose, or you could stay the same.” The manager then pointedly added that they knew Cremin had used the trans healthcare benefits..
Although Starbucks doesn’t mention trans healthcare by name, that’s a tactic straight from the company’s. Under the site’s “10 Things to Know About a Union” section, one bullet point reads, “In a final agreement, the union might sacrifice certain terms and conditions of employment you thought were essential. The union might also negotiate away current conditions that matter a lot to you.” Another bullet point reads, “Compensation can increase, decrease or remain the same. It can be a gamble.